Global Retirement Partners LLC Acquires 7,918 Shares of McDonald’s Corporation $MCD

Global Retirement Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 46.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 24,896 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 7,918 shares during the period. Global Retirement Partners LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $7,609,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of MCD. Viking Global Investors LP boosted its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 171.7% during the second quarter. Viking Global Investors LP now owns 3,125,432 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $913,157,000 after purchasing an additional 1,974,998 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in McDonald’s by 36.6% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,396,837 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $1,336,155,000 after acquiring an additional 1,179,244 shares in the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its stake in McDonald’s by 111.3% in the third quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 2,071,296 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $629,446,000 after acquiring an additional 1,090,849 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP boosted its stake in McDonald’s by 927.5% in the third quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 827,547 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $251,483,000 after acquiring an additional 927,547 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Alyeska Investment Group L.P. boosted its stake in McDonald’s by 766.5% in the third quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 885,629 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $269,134,000 after acquiring an additional 783,416 shares in the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

McDonald’s News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting McDonald’s this week:

• Positive Sentiment: McDonald’s confirmed a quarterly dividend of $1.86 per share, reinforcing its appeal as a dependable income stock and signaling continued cash generation for shareholders. McDonald’s Rewards Shareholders Again
• Positive Sentiment: Several reports highlighted new menu and beverage initiatives, plus AI-driven and futuristic drive-thru upgrades, suggesting McDonald’s is trying to improve the customer experience and drive more sales through product innovation. McDonalds Is Transforming the Fast-Food Experience in 2026 With AI, Futuristic Drive-Thrus, and Trendy New Drinks
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts are said to be resetting growth and valuation assumptions, which can keep the stock in focus if investors see McDonald’s as a defensive brand with improving execution. Why The McDonald’s (MCD) Investment Story Is Shifting As Analysts Reset Growth And Valuation
• Neutral Sentiment: McDonald’s plans to open a restaurant in historic Castlemaine and other brand-related media coverage appear more like awareness/marketing stories than major financial catalysts. McDonald’s confirms plan for restaurant in historic Castlemaine
• Neutral Sentiment: McDonald’s board change at Constellation Brands is not a direct operational update for MCD, though it does keep the company’s leadership team visible in the market. Constellation Brands Announces Election of Morgan Flatley as New Independent Board Director
• Negative Sentiment: Recent valuation commentary noted weaker share-price performance over the past month and quarter, suggesting investors remain cautious despite McDonald’s defensive profile and dividend support. Assessing McDonald’s (MCD) Valuation After Recent Share Price Weakness And Mixed Return Patterns

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. TD Cowen lowered their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $330.00 to $300.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Evercore set a $350.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Argus upgraded shares of McDonald’s from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $380.00 target price for the company in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Mizuho raised their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $300.00 to $325.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Guggenheim lowered their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $325.00 to $320.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Seventeen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $334.45.

Insider Buying and Selling at McDonald’s

In related news, EVP Jonathan Banner sold 6,201 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $333.29, for a total transaction of $2,066,731.29. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 2,291 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $763,567.39. This trade represents a 73.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 2,626 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, April 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $307.00, for a total transaction of $806,182.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 8,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,578,800. This trade represents a 23.82% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last three months, insiders have sold 12,119 shares of company stock valued at $3,945,973. 0.26% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

McDonald’s Price Performance

Shares of McDonald’s stock opened at $284.03 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $300.56 and a 200 day moving average price of $309.44. McDonald’s Corporation has a 1 year low of $271.98 and a 1 year high of $341.75. The stock has a market cap of $201.81 billion, a PE ratio of 23.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.43.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.74 by $0.09. McDonald’s had a net margin of 31.62% and a negative return on equity of 442.10%. The firm had revenue of $6.52 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.47 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.67 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 9.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts expect that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.94 EPS for the current year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 2nd will be issued a dividend of $1.86 per share. This represents a $7.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 2nd. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 61.34%.

McDonald’s Company Profile

McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE: MCD) is a global quick-service restaurant company best known for its hamburgers, French fries and breakfast offerings. The company develops, operates and franchises a system of restaurants that sell a range of food and beverage items, including signature products such as the Big Mac, Quarter Pounder, Chicken McNuggets, McCafé coffee beverages and a variety of salads, desserts and seasonal menu items. McDonald’s serves customers through company-operated restaurants and franchised locations, and it supports sales via dine-in, drive-thru, digital ordering platforms and third-party delivery partnerships.

Founded in 1940 by brothers Richard and Maurice McDonald as a single San Bernardino, California restaurant, the business was transformed into a franchising model after Ray Kroc joined in the mid-1950s and led the brand’s national and international expansion.